Published by Canongate Books in 2013, this is the 7th novel by British novelist and journalist Matt Haig. This review is of the paperback edition first published in 2014.
The first line of a book is often the most important- it is your first impression and sets the tone for the rest of the book. In this case, the first line is:
"I know that some of you reading this are convinced humans are a myth, but I am here to state that they do actually exist."
Just what the title suggests, really; that this is written from the point of view of someone, or something, that isn't human. This first line definitely intrigued me...
As well as a preface, the book is split into Part I, Part II and Part III. Part I introduces us to the characters, the story and the background. Part I is, in my opinion, the funniest part- "Andrew" is so new to everything human, so the mistakes he makes are pretty hilarious! Having said that, it's not all fun and games- there are some rather sombre moments. Generally, the further the book progresses, the more distressing the characters' plights become. Part II is definitely where the book gets more grown up. You get to know the characters better in this part... Finally, Part III. I'm not going to say much about this part, because I don't want to spoil it for you, but I will say that it will probably be the ending that you are hoping for.
The author, Matt Haig, said, about the book, that "it is a love story and a murder story and a what-are-we-here-for? story". It is classified as contemporary fiction, but that is defined as stories set in modern-day times that don't have an element of fiction. However, without giving away any spoilers, depending on your stance regarding the debate on extra-terrestrial life, you might not agree with this genre. The book is written from a first person point of view. A main reason for writing from this perspective is for an immediate connection with the protagonist. I think this is effective in "The Humans", because we see the gradual change in the narrator and emotions and thoughts are not lost or filtered through a third-person narrator.
The characters in this book are so varied, which makes it interesting, but I think sometimes they are a bit 2D- I want to know more about their past, which isn't delved deep enough into, in my opinion. My favourite character is "Andrew" (if you read the book, you will find out why I have put his name in quotation marks), because it is a rarity to find a protagonist whose view of our world is so distinctive.
In conclusion, I did like this book, because it takes a fascinating stance on humans and our fragile society. The ending was the one that I was hoping for, which I was incredibly thankful for, because it would have broken my heart if things hadn't have gone the way that I wanted them to!
I would recommend this book to people of a curious nature who want to explore different perspectives of our Earth. I think readers must have a mature mind, therefore I would suggest it for ages 14+. It is not categorised as a children's or teen novel.
Thank you for reading my first book review. I hope you found this useful. Also, a massive thank you to Canongate for sending me the book to review!
Score: 8/10
Thanks for reading!
Pip
ISBN: 978 0 85786 878 7
Pages: 291
Price: £8.99
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